Daily almanac

Today is Saturday, May 31, the 152nd day of 2008. There are 214 days left in the year.

Today is Saturday, May 31, the 152nd day of 2008. There are 214 days left in the year.

Highlights in History

• On May 31, 1889, more than 2,000 people perished when a dam break sent water rushing through Johnstown, Pa.

• In 1819, poet Walt Whitman was born in West Hill, N.Y.

• In 1910, the Union of South Africa was founded.

• In 1916, during World War I, British and German fleets fought the naval Battle of Jutland off Denmark; there was no clear-cut victor, although the British suffered heavier losses.

• In 1961, South Africa became an independent republic.

• In 1977, the trans-Alaska oil pipeline was completed.

• In 1994, the United States announced it was no longer aiming long-range nuclear missiles at targets in the former Soviet Union.

• Ten years ago: Singer Geri Halliwell, also known as "Ginger Spice" of the Spice Girls, confirmed she was leaving the band.

• Five years ago: Anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph was arrested outside a grocery store in Murphy, N.C. Air France's Concorde returned to Paris in a final commercial flight.

• One year ago: President Bush, under international pressure to take tough action against global warming, called for a world summit to set a long-term global strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In a breach of security, detailed plans for the new U.S. Embassy under construction in Baghdad appeared on the Web site of the architectural firm that was contracted to design the massive facility.

Thought for Today

"In the faces of men and women I see God." -- Walt Whitman (1819-92)

Source: Associated Press

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